Botanic Remedies 283 



have taken the drug in large doses without any 

 symptoms whatever; but, in pulling the vines out 

 of a fence row, inoculated a scratch on my finger 

 and have since been slightly susceptible to the local 

 action of the drug, and more especially to the 

 growing plant. 



There is no recorded instance of a human being 

 dying from the effects of Rhus toxicodendron. 



The local effects upon susceptible persons are too 

 well known to require description; but it must be 

 added that fever, sore throat, diarrhea, and hema- 

 turia follow in some cases. There are some instances 

 of convulsions resulting. 



I have induced three persons proven to be sus- 

 ceptible to the local influences of the drug to swallow 

 capsules I carefully filled with 10 drops of a fresh 

 Homeopathic mother tincture of the plant retained 

 by coating the capsules with paraffin over the joint 

 but not over the body of the capsule. None of these 

 persons developed any symptoms whatever; but it 

 would be folly for me to assert that none other of 

 the susceptibles would develop symptoms by intro- 

 ducing the drug into the stomach; in fact, it is 

 probable some hypersensitive persons would do so. 



But the outstanding fact is that Rhus toxicodendron 

 has no pharmacology except with persons who are 

 naturally sensitive or, as I believe, have been sensi- 

 tized to it, and just as the pollens of ragweed, golden- 

 rod, etc., have no pharmacology except with persons 

 sensitized to them. For a discussion of this view, 

 see "Pollen Extracts." How, or by what mechan- 

 ism, one may become sensitized to Rhus toxicodendron 

 I am not prepared to say; but there is, at least, 

 some resemblance to anaphylactic shock. 



